Put Me Back Together Again
by uchihacutie
Summary: It takes one blow to break a mirror. The first to shatter was his heart. Then came his mind. And one medic named Sakura to pick up the pieces.
1. Chapter 1

_**WARNING: THIS IS GRAPHIC. IF YOU DON'T LIKE SEXUAL ABUSE (and I hope you don't regardless) PLEASE DON'T GO ON. IF YOU CHOOSE TO, YOU ARE READING AT YOUR OWN RISK. Now, without further ado, here is the first chapter of Put Me Back Together Again ^_^**_

_He sat on a bench eating his last stick of dango. Surveying the streets around him, he contemplated who would be the successful ninja, who would die early, and who wouldn't make it at all._

_The little girl who handed out flowers ran past him and he watched her closely. She probably would be a ninja. Her speed surpassed most children her age. The way she dodged the ongoing passer-bys without much thought was above average. The cart that almost hit her didn't cause any amount of hesitation. She wouldn't die early with the skill she possessed. She was about four, he concluded._

_The boy who stood about 2 meters from her with his feet slanted inwards was a different story. His shoulders were hunched and his cheeks rosy. His eyes were wet with unshed tears and his nose ran. Disgusting. His thumb was in his mouth as he searched frantically for his mother who had been there moments ago. With that lack of concentration and observation, if he were to become a ninja he would die early. That split second of losing the awareness of his surroundings could mean a kunai to the head. He wouldn't be able to protect his teammates either. He would be a danger to himself and the death of his companions. He was about four as well. What a failure._

_When he was 1 and a half he could read. At two he caught his father in traps. At three he could scale walls with chakra. At four, his father started training him. He was eight now, having graduated from the academy a year before. Tossing the dango stick into a waste bin with unique precision, he stood up and made his way to his mother's favorite herbalist, Hiyako. _

_The store was deep into the compound with many complicated twist and turns. It was rather isolated. He finally made his way into the alleyway and checked his pockets making sure he didn't lose the money and list his mother gave him._

_He pushed the door in and a bell rang, indicating to the storeowner that someone was there._

"_Just a second!"an voice called from an unknown location, probably a storage room of some sort. _

_He waited patiently and observed the store around him. Slight movement alerted him and he turned to see Hiyako shutting the room door behind him before making his way to the counter._

"_Good afternoon, Itachi. How are you today?"_

"_I am fine, Mr. Hiyako. Thank you for asking."_

_Hiyako laughed._

"_Always so polite. Is there anything I can do for you?_

_Itachi pulled out the list and handed it to the man._

_Hiyoko studied the list before rummaging around the shop, gathering the required herbs his mother had written down._

_Itachi helped himself to a chair near the corner and sat down, swinging his legs that seemed so far from the floor. Hiyako observed the boy from where he stood._

"_Would you like some tea while you wait, Itachi?"_

_The boy glanced at him._

"_That would be nice, thank you."he answered._

_Hiyako quickly disappeared into another room and came out with a steaming cup. He handed it to Itachi who accepted it with thanks. That dango earlier made him thirsty, but buying a drink would have short changed him as he needed the money for the herbs. _

_He blew on it before taking a long sip. The flavor was strange though. Nothing he recognized. _

"_What kind of tea is this?"he inquired._

"_Oh just something I came up with."_

_Itachi nodded before taking another sip._

_Hiyako watched him closely. _

"_How old are you, Itachi?"_

"_Eight."_

"_Hm…I remember when you were just a baby. You're growing into such a fine young boy…"_

_Itachi stared at him in mild confusion._

"_While I find your comment somewhat flattering it is also innapr…inna…what?"he mumbled._

_His body swayed slightly and he looked at his cup. He looked back up at Hiyako. The man had this strange look in his face as he approached in him._

"_Wh…what is going on…"he slurred._

"_Do you not feel well Itachi?"_

_The cup fell from Itachi's hand as he collapsed, unable to move or think straight._

_Hiyako caught him and carried him into his bedroom._

"_Put me down."Itachi protested weakly, but could do nothing to free himself. _

_He heard as Hiyako laughed to himself as he set Itachi on the bed and removed his sandals. Itachi tried not to panic. He didn't understand what was happening. And that was a first._

"_…wh…what are you…you doing?"he asked._

"_I've waited a long time for this…I had to get you before you damaged your face on a mission…a delicate treasure like you shouldn't be a ninja."he said as he continued to strip the frightened boy._

"_Please lemme go…"he mumbled._

"_I cant…and don't make this any harder. Just accept it. I'm going to be a bit rushed as this paralysis doesn't last long."_

_And suddenly his hands were everywhere, touching places that shouldn't be touched, kissing him, licking him. Itachi was in shock. He thought mommys and daddys did this. _

"_Please…stop…ahh…"_

_He tried his hardest to move, but the room kept spinning and every attempt brought a bout of nausea so intense he feared he would vomit all over the man. _

_All of a sudden he was flipped onto his knees and held up. Pain shot up his spine and he blacked out for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes everything looked different. Things moved slower…or did he see them faster? Then he realized. He had activated his Sharingan. A burst of strength surged through him and he kicked and screamed with all his might, finally getting free. He kneed Hiyako in the groin and scrambled out of the bed and onto the floor. Everything hurt. He barely managed to put on his clothes without crying. Staggering out of the room, he grabbed the bag of his mother's herbs. He heard faint cursing, and just before he fled, he heard these words._

"_If you say anything, your brother's next."_

_Itachi's eyes widened and he willed himself to run faster. He wanted his mother, to cry and tell her what happened, but knew he never would. Sasuke couldn't handle what…what happened to him._

_The sky opened up and it started to pour. He ran further down the alleyways, just trying to find a place to hide. He ended up in a dark corner near some garbage. He sat down a flinched as he made contact. It continued to rain on him and he wrapped his arms around himself. And then he cried. No… he sobbed. Wailed. _

_What did he do wrong? As he cried, he began to contemplate what he did wrong. Then it hit him. He had trusted that man. That was his first mistake. He was such an idiot. What happened to him could've been fatal. Had he been on a mission, this could have been his end. And…his mother would've gotten the news of his death. She would have shed tears for him. And he couldn't allow that…_

_So he would never make this kind of petty mistake again. He refused to allow it. Because it hurt too much. _

_He sat there shivering and crying silently. The more he wiped his eyes; the more tears fell. Eventually, he just let them flow. He didn't know he fell asleep until a crackle of thunder awoke him hours later. His family must be worried.. Getting up, he limped back into civilization. Fifteen minutes later, he spotted his best friend, Shisui. The older boy ran toward him and gasped._

_Itachi's Sharingan was spinning frantically. That and the boy looked petrified._

_The eleven year old kneeled in front of the borderline insane boy and desperately asked what happened to him but got no answer._

"_Itachi, please…you have to tell me…what happened to make you like this…and your Sharingan…"_

"_Take me home…take me home…please…"_

"_Tell me what happened."_

"_He…touched me…all over…it hurts…"_

_And then Shisui looked at Itachi's pants and saw the blood…_

"_Oh Kami."_

_Itachi looked down as well and panicked._

"_No! Take me to your house. They can't see me like this…they…they can't…because they'll ask questions and I promised I wouldn't tell and if I do Sasuke is next…Shisui…please…please…don't say anything…"Itachi begged._

_Shisui was shocked. Itachi rarely ever showed emotion…so for this much to be pouring out…something went horribly wrong._

"_I promise. Now get on my back. We'll go to our hideout and I'll help get you cleaned up…okay?"_

_Itachi nodded and lay against the back of his best friend's neck…falling into a shock induced slumber. He awoke the next day in a clean set of clothes curled up against the other boy._

"_You're awake."_

_He nodded._

"_Tell me what happened."_

_Itachi swallowed loudly and fiddled with the base of his shirt as he recounted the whole thing in perfect detail._

"_Do you know what he did? I never…heard of anything like that."said Itachi._

"_Remember that girl that was found in one of the alleys, who was screaming and crying and bleeding like you were?"_

_Itachi nodded._

"_I asked my mother about it and she told me it's called rape. It's…kinda like what our paren's do…but one of the people doesn't want to do it…and they're forced."_

"_But…I thought the penis was supposed to enter the vagina…but his…his p…penis went in my…"he trailed off._

_Shisui looked at him, trying to mask his sorrow. This was…someone he was supposed to protect._

"_I guess that's how guys do it…"_

"_Two guys?"_

"_Yea…to each his own I guess…"_

"_But I didn't want this…so I was…raped?"_

"_Yes. But you should probably say something to-_

_And suddenly Itachi's trembling hands had a kunai pressed to Shisui's throat. _

"_No…and you promised me you wouldn't either. We only talk about this to each other…understand? No one else."_

_Shisui nodded and Itachi pulled back and the two sat in silence._

"_Are you going to be okay?"asked Shisui._

"_No. I don't think I ever will. But they will never know…because I am required to fulfill the clan's expectations. Something as simple as this is no excuse."_

"_That's not fair Itachi!"_

"_Life isn't fair…"_

_Nobody ever found out…_

_Even when it happened again. And again. And again. _

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Blood red eyes blinked open.

"Dog, there are two closing in. Ten meters."

"Kay."

She stood still as they closed in. When they were close, her dogs jumped from the trees and clamped down on their necks, killing them instantly. Hana let out a breath as Itachi appeared beside her. Genma appeared a second later with their objective. A stolen scroll.

"Really though, I think Lady Hokage is underestimating us. This mission was no A rank."he complained loudly.

'Tsk. Hell no it wasn't. A bunch of bull if you ask me. Watcha think Cap'n?"

"Maybe it's the calm before the storm."he answered, looking at the moon in the distance.

Genma rolled his eyes.

"Let us depart. There is no need to spend the night in the forest now that we've completed the mission."he said before dashing off into the trees.

Hana gestured to her dogs. They followed, and Genma took the rear.

They traveled in silence for about twenty minutes before Itachi came to an abrupt stop.

"Captain?"

"There is a stream…if you would like to…cleanse yourself."he said to Hana.

"I don't think that's a good idea…nothing smells worse than wet dog."Genma joked.

Hana delivered a swift punch to the back of his head.

"Jerk."she pouted

She quickly went to the stream where she washed off the blood. That would do for now, until she got back to the den and took a nice warm shower. She may be a tomboy…but she was still a girl.

Meanwhile, Itachi and Genma sat in silence. Itachi deactivated his Sharingan and leaned back against a tree, closing his eyes.

He was extremely tired, but the mission was almost over and he would rest then. Then he remembered. There was another clan meeting scheduled for the day that his father told him was mandatory…seeming how he had missed quite a few. Never mind that nap.

Genma watched Itachi discretely. He could tell Itachi was near collapse. But every time he confronted the stubborn captain, he always said it was none of his concern.

Like hell it wasn't. Someday, he would make the Uchiha realize there were people that cared about him.

Just then Hana and her dogs returned from their mini bath.

"Are you guys gonna wash up?"

Itachi's eyes remained closed, so Genma answered. He fiddled with the senbon in his mouth before speaking.

"I guess we'll just finish the trip back. I don't wanna stay here longer than necessary."

They both looked at the silent Uchiha. Hana moved over toward him and shook him gently. The moment she touched him, his eyes shot open and his hand gripped her wrist in a painful grip. She gasped in pain. He quickly realized what he'd done and let her go, refusing to make eye contact.

"I apologize."

She simply nodded while caressing her wrist. Itachi jumped up into the trees and the others followed. Genma and Hana lagged behind.

"What the hell was that? If he had a weapon he could've killed you…"he said.

"He can't tell a friend from foe…and you know what? That kinda hurts…"

Itachi clenched his fists when he heard that, but said nothing. Because they were right.

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"Ino…can you get me a copy of Shino's medical charts? I need to know what he's allergic too before I prescribe any pain medication…and he's still unconscious so he can't tell me."

Ino frowned.

"Sure Sakura…and after this I think we both deserve a vacation. After that near genin team massacre today…I'm beat."

Sakura could only nod in agreement as she healed the more dangerous of Shino's wounds. His team had run into trouble on the way back, and Hinata was injured so she couldn't heal the other two. Kiba was the only one that made it out conscious and managed to get the team back safely.

She sighed in frustration. Her chakra was low and she forgot to refill her chakra pill pouch.

Damn.

'_Hurry up, Ino. I need to get out of here before someone else drags me to another patient.'_she thought.

The blonde appeared with the charts.

"Thanks. Ok, let's see…oh, it's a good thing I checked. I'll tell my replacement to give him a dose of this instead."sh

Ino nodded before setting his charts on a nearby table and turned around.

"I'm clocking out…it's friggin 9 pm and we've been here since 5 am yesterday. You'd better do the same, darlin."

"Of course."she said as she finished up with Shino, collecting his charts and following Ino out.

"Mina, check up on him every half hour…if he dies in his sleep I'm going to female circumcise you without anesthesia."said Sakura as she signed her name.

"H…Hai…"

"Well forehead, I'm gonna get some dinner. Are you coming?"asked Ino.

"Yea…oh shoot! No! I just remembered that I promised Mrs. Uchiha to drop by…damn…I've gotta go…"

Ino rolled her eyes and laughed as Sakura dashed off. She needed a boyfriend.

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Sakura quickly ran toward the edge of town where the Uchiha compound was located. She slowed down to a brisk walk as she entered, ignoring the questioning stares. Those people were so…creepy.

Finally, she made it to her teammate's house and took of her shoes. The door swung open to reveal a smiling Mikoto.

"Sakura, and here I thought you weren't coming."she said, before inviting the fatigued girl in.

"I'm so sorry, Mom, things were a mess in the hospital today. Can I use your bathroom please?"

"Honey, if you can call me mom, you can definitely use the bathroom."

Sakura smiled and blushed before heading toward her destination, because boy did she have to pee.

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They were finally back in the village. Itachi nodded toward his teammates as he turned to return the scroll and write a mission report.

"Itachi."

He halted.

"I'll do that stuff. Go home."

"As captain it is my duty-

"Just go home, Itachi…"

He nodded and handed Genma the objects before vanishing.

Itachi appeared at his home and saw the small pair of sandals that didn't belong. They certainly didn't belong to his brother or that loudmouthed dimwitted friend of his, so maybe the female? He removed his sandals before quietly stepping in.

He stepped quietly behind his mother and wrapped his arms around her waist, startling her.

"Oh, Itachi. Good, You're just in time for dinner. But you can step away now. You're covered in dried blood and that's disgusting."she said.

He smirked before planting a soft kiss on her cheek and moving away.

"I assume father is at the meeting?"he asked.

She averted her eyes.

"Yes. This is the fourth you've missed consecutively. He's not going to be happy. In fact, he was furious when he left."

"I see."he said.

She stared at him before turning back to set the table.

"I'm going to take a quick shower, Mother."

She nodded as he disappeared silently. He walked up the stairs and to his room, quickly discarding his weapons and removing the mask that hung from a red string around his neck. Then he took of the elbow guards and flinched when they clanked the floor loudly. The shin guards followed after. He took the bloodied hair tie and shook his head as his hair fell down his back. Tossing it in the trash, he picked up his mangled katana and grunted.

That flame jutsu the enemy had used charred the cord wrap around it, and the blade was a bent up mess.

"You can have Tenten take a look at that. She's an expert at these things."

How could he not have noticed her? He was much more tired than he had presumed.

Said pinkette invited herself into his room and took a look at it.

"Yup, nothing she can't fix."she mumbled, before looking up into his soulless obsidian eyes.

He nodded before placing the katana on the stand on his dresser.

"You are my brother's comrade."

"Yes."

He nodded, before making more distance between him and her.

"You did not accompany them on the mission."

Her mouth twitched, slanting downward.

"No."

"Presumably, not by choice."

"Correct."

What was his point?

"When do you plan on applying for Anbu?"

Her eyes widened, and she sputtered a bit before answering.

"I'm…not on that level yet…"she mumbled.

He nodded before sitting down on his bed, and removing the bandages from his shins and arms.

"Kunoichi-

"It's Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

If he was going to interrogate her, he'd at least have the decency to use her name.

"Haruno-san, please name my injuries."

"Two fractured ribs, a 5 inch slash on your back, one degree burns on your fingers, extreme fatigue, and low chakra supply."she replied, without hesitation.

"I will ask you again, Haruno-san. When do you plan on applying for Anbu?"

She stared at him, wide eyed and slack jawed as he gathered his change of clothes and headed toward the bathroom without a glance or word.

She heard a soft giggling behind her and turned around to see Mikoto clutching her stomach, leaning against Itachi's doorframe for support.

"He has that effect on everyone, dear."

Sakura sighed while running a hand through her hair.

How annoying.

She followed Mikoto back downstairs and took a seat on the couch.

"We'll have dinner right after Fugaku returns. He shouldn't be long now."

Sakura tried to smile, the result being a crooked grimace. Sasuke's father was a bit of a prick.

'**Oh great, pops is eating with us, as usual.'**mumbled Inner.

'Honestly, it's nothing new. Uchiha protocol, nobody eats main meals without the head present, unless they get permission.'

'**That's bull cheese and you know it.'**

'I think so too, but you know how complicated clan life is.'

Sakura was brought out of her inner conversation by the sound of the front door sliding open and closed, rather forcefully.

Uchiha Fugaku strolled in with his scowl more pronounced than usual.

"Hello, dear…dinner is ready, you can sit after you wash your hands."said Mikoto.

"Where is Itachi?"

Mikoto hesitated before Sakura answered.

"He's in the shower, and hello to you too, ."

He glared at her before sitting down, helping himself to some sake.

Sakura and Mikoto joined him, in awkward silence as they waited for Itachi.

Meanwhile, said Uchiha stepped out of the shower, and quickly toweled himself down. His hair was still wet, so he grabbed a hair tie from his stash and tied his hair up into a high ponytail, something unusual for him.

He was too tired to care.

Throwing on his clothes, he tossed the dirty ones into his room before quietly making his was downstairs.

He could feel the tension.

Father was home.

He made his way to the table and sat down.

"I apologize for the delay."

Mikoto looked up in shock. He didn't acknowledge his father.

Fugaku grit his teeth before saying a quick grace. They repeated and began to eat.

Sakura helped herself to the curry and rice. She was so hungry. She was just about to scoop in a mouthful when Fugaku spoke.

"How was the mission?"

Itachi replied without hesitation.

"Successful." He went back to putting food on his plate.

"I'm not finished, Itachi."

Mikoto flinched, and Sakura watched as her hands trembled as she bought some food to her mouth.

Itachi's cold obsidian eyes met his father's as he placed his utensils down.

"Yes, Father?"

"I'm sure you were aware of the clan meeting that took place tonight. In fact, I'm sure you were aware of the date for at least two weeks."

"Father, I do not think this is the appropriate time for such a discussion."

Fugaku reached across the table and slapped him. Hard.

Mikoto gasped and knocked over her glass of water, luckily onto the floor instead of the table. Sakura stood up abruptly.

"Mrs. Uchiha, I'd like to thank you for inviting me over, but it's getting late and I should take my leave. I have work tomorrow."

She walked around the table and quickly put a hand on Itachi's cheek, healing him before rushing out of the house. All was quiet as the shouji door slammed loudly, and Itachi listened to her hurrying footsteps as she fled.

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Shisui sighed happily as he licked his ice cream cone, ignoring the disapproving stairs of the clan. Beside him was Aiko, his 'beloved'.

"Shisui, when are you going to marry me?"she asked, watching as he stiffened and blushed.

"I have to get your father's permission first, gorgeous."he replied, passing the cone to her and she took her lick.

"I wonder what's taking him so long to approve. I mean, you're one of the best our clan has to offer…"

He looked over at her, studying her features for the millionth time. Her hair reached her knees, but she wore it in a long braid. Her abundant figure was held back by a beautiful lavish kimono, this one black and white. She wore red lip gloss, and she had a beauty mark between the bottom of her nose and the top of her lip on her cheek. He was so in love with her.

Shisui blinked out of his stupor as he noticed someone running up ahead. He'd recognize that pink hair anywhere. She seemed to be in a hurry, and her eyes were wide. She was about to run past when he grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Her hand flew to her chest in surprise.

"Oh…Shisui, Aiko. I didn't see you too. Sorry."

Her eyes darted around, and she looked behind her as if to make sure whoever she was running from wasn't around.

"Are you alright, Pinky?"

She took a few deep breathes before answering.

"Oh, I'm fine…I just happened to be at Itachi's house at the wrong time is all.

Shisui's eyes narrowed.

"What happened?"he asked, his cheerful mood from earlier gone.

"Honestly, Shisui, I don't know…"

Aiko spoke up.

"Do you want to sit down Sakura? Or maybe you could stay at my house tonight."

Sakura smiled at the kind woman in front of her.

"Thank you, Aiko. I'd like that…oh, I wasn't interrupting anything was I?"

"As a matter of fact, you were Pinky…Aiko and I were about to go into that alley over there and-

"Shut up, Shisui."scolded his beloved, before continuing, "C'mon Sakura. We're about the same size, so there's no need to go home for anything. I've got a billion clothes to spare."she said, before grabbing Sakura's hand and pulling her along.

"Bye, beloved."said Shisui, before he vanished.

Sakura smiled and Aiko blushed before the two headed off towards Aiko's manor.

Any other passerby would assume that this man was a creep, and needed to be arrested for trespassing. That is…if they could see him. But those who knew him would just brush past him and think he was probably analyzing.

Itachi Uchiha stood perched on a branch right in front of Aiko Uchiha's bedroom window, peering inside. It had taken him forever to locate the feisty medic, and here she sat, innocently asleep with his cousin's lover.

He watched as she shifted in her sleep, and turned around to face him. Her eyes fluttered and they opened, immediately finding his. Her heart skipped a beat, but she remained quite as to not awaken her roommate. Instead, she slowly sat up ans walked to the window.

"May I help you?"she whispered.

"Give me two weeks, Sakura Haruno."he said.

Her eyes widened in slight fear and confusion.

"And I will make you the best Anbu medic that Konoha has ever seen."

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**Hooray! My second multichapter ItaSaku fic has arrived. I hope you enjoyed this, and I also hope that it wasn't too, uhh…much for anyone.**

**I no way shape or form have I ever been raped. I don't know the feeling, and pray that I won't ever will. I just tried to accurately describe this without to many details, to avoid sounding like I knew what it felt like. But too anyone who has been, knows a victim, or just is emotional about it in general, I really and sincerely hope that I haven't offended you.**

**So I hope it wasn't too much.**

**I apologize if there are any mistakes. I don't have a beta .**

**But yea, I have hope for this fic. Please REVIEW :)**


	2. Chapter 2

It was impossible. There was no way she could do this. That he could make her do this. She narrowly avoided his fist as her back slammed into a tree, his blow cracking the tree and stripping it of some of its bark. She panted with exhaustion as his red eyes bored into hers. He stared at her, before moving back and giving her room to breathe.

Sweat was dripping out of every pore in her body. Her hair was up in a disheveled messy bun. She had on a white sports bra and her old navy blue shorts that she used to wear. They clung to her body even more because of the sweat, and she sighed, trying to stretch them out a bit.

"You are slow."

Her head shot up.

"Excuse me?"she asked.

"You're style of fighting is good. But your attacks are slow. The rate at which you gather your chakra is unbearably slow, resulting in delayed attacks. Timing is essential, as any delay can result in the failure of a mission."

The wind blew softly, rustling the trees of the area they were in. It was his private training grounds that she assumed nobody knew about. With the exception of her of course.

She wiped her hand across her brow and shook the sweat off of her fingers. His eyes followed the action, before boring back into hers.

"You do know that this is Lady Tsunade's fighting style, right?"she asked.

"Hn. But if you are making the point I assume you are, than, yes while it has always worked for her, you must remember that she has milestones more experience in the battlefield then you do. You are but a child in this world, Miss Haruno."

She pouted, and put her hand on her hip.

"You can call me Sakura."

"I would rather not, as we are just getting to know each other and it would be rude."

'**Friggin stiff weirdo.' **mumbled Inner Sakura.

"Alright. So…what are we going to do about my apparent lack of attack speed?"she asked.

He looked at her silently before walking to a brown satchel lying at the baseline of a nearby tree. He crouched down and picked up some heavy metal contraptions. Four to be exact. He then stood back up and walked directly in front of her.

She tried her best not to look intimidated.

He slipped three of the four metal rings around his arm before grabbing hers.

She squeaked as he started to fasten one around her wrist.

"What are those?"

He didn't answer, until the ring clicked into place. He then applied a slight amount of chakra and watched as she slumped over with a gasp.

"Weights."he answered.

She grunted as she forced herself to remain upright. He took her other arm and fastened that weight at well. She grit her teeth. He repeated the same process for her legs, and then stepped back, watching as she shook under the weight.

"By inserting my chakra, I can control the weight of the rings."he stated.

She nodded her head, clenching her fists and breathing hard.

He then turned around.

"Keep up."he said before sprinting off.

Sakura cried out before trying her best to match his pace, or even come remotely close to it. Her legs wobbled as she trotted after him awkwardly, swaying left and right. Her arms hung limp at her sides. She didn't spot the rock in front of her and she screamed as she tumbled over it, not even being able to bring up her arms to break her fall. Itachi turned back just in time to see her face smack the grass.

He appeared beside her and knelt down.

"Miss Haruno?"he asked.

He listened as she grumbled every curse in the book before promptly passing out.

.

.

.

"This just has to be the longest most boring mission in the whole world of long boring missions."

"Shut up, dobe."

"Tails. Flame. Not now."

They both turned to the silver haired man who was reading a well-known inappropriate orange book.

"Oh, because reading porn is a better alternative."stated Sasuke.

"Always."Kakashi replied.

Sasuke sighed while readjusting his mask. They all stiffened at the same time, before jumping up into the trees to survey below.

A group of 10 enemy ninja appeared right where they had been. One stepped forward, whom they assumed to be the leader.

"We know you're here, Konoha ninja. And we also know you have a scroll to deliver to Mist. We'd like to have that."

The three in the trees locked eyes. Kakashi did a flurry of hand motions. Naruto stayed put while Sasuke vanished.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Give it up and die easily. Or fight and die hard. You choose."

"Dying easily was never my style."mumbled Sasuke.

The group flinched and jumped back while their leader was held in place by a kunai at the throat.

"Sneaky bastard. When did you get behind me?"snarled the man.

"The same time I got behind everybody else."laughed Naruto.

Every ninja in the enemy entourage was held in place by Naruto and his clones. Kakashi at that moment dropped down from the tree, his eyes never leaving his book. Or so it appeared.

"So….what was that about dying and all?"asked Kakashi.

"Don't mock me, Konoha scum!"yelled the man. He jerked forward only to gasp sharply at the feel of cold skill making a small incision on his throat.

"Don't forget about that."said Sasuke.

"Tails. Disable the ninja."commanded Kakashi.

"Okie dokie."

The Narutos moved at the same time, and with practiced precision, each jabbed their fingers into the pressure points on each captive's neck, effectively knocking them unconscious.

The man in charge tsked before glaring at Kakashi.

"Now, I'm going to ask you a few things. For one, which village are you from?"

"You'll never know."

And with that last line, he lunged forward and impaled himself on the kunai Sasuke was holding. Sasuke jumped back as he felt the blood seep through his hands, before rushing forward to try and stop the bleeding.

They needed this information.

The man jerked from under him, the blood bubbling from his mouth and gushing from his neck. He paled at a quick pace.

"You'll all…die…and I wish…I'd be there…to see it happen."

His body stilled and his eyes glazed over in death. Sasuke cursed before standing up, flashing the blood off of his hands.

"Well damn, at least we have these guys."said Naruto.

"No we don't, idiot. Look."

The blonde turned and knelt down, his clones following his actions. They checked each pulse, only to find none.

"What the hell?"

"It was some sort of linked suicide. They stopped breathing the moment he did."stated Kakashi.

"That's not normal. What could possibly be so important that they would all link themselves to die when someone else did?"asked Naruto.

"We need to pick our pace up, so we can hurry back to the village and report."said Kakashi.

They both nodded and grabbed their things. Naruto dispelled his clones before looking back at the bodies.

"Come, Tails."

He sighed before they all jumped into the trees, traveling faster than they had been before resting.

Kakashi squinted his eyes in thought.

'_I don't like this…'_

_._

_._

_._

She shot up with a gasp, and then vertigo hit her, so she slowly laid back down.

"What?"

"You collapsed, Ms. Haruno."

She turned to see Itachi reading some sort of book. She couldn't read the title from where she was lying down.

"What time is it?"asked Sakura.

He looked up at the sun.

"Eight o'clock."

"WHAT! My shift started at seven!"

She got up again, only to groan when she saw that the weights were still attached.

"Can you take these off? I need to go."

He read another line before shutting the book.

"No."he answered.

"Excuse me?"she asked.

He put the book in his satchel before standing up and walking toward her. She stood up with a grunt and then turned to glare at him.

"My job as a medic is to save lives. How the hell do you expect me to do that with these stupid things on?"she asked angrily.

"I am well aware of your duties, however, you wish to improve, do you not?"

"Well, yea…"

"Then I will not remove them."

She muttered a string of curses before sighing.

"Fine. Your way it is then, Uchiha. Can we at least do something about the appearance though?"

"Hn."

He walked closer and she lifted both her hands up, moaning at the effort. He changed them into bangles, and the knelt down to change the ones on her ankles to anklets.

"We will meet again after your shift ends."

And with that, he vanished.

Sakura grumbled before rushing as fast as she could to her home, stumbling quite a bit. She took to the roofs to avoid crowds and staring, as she looked quite ridiculous. Finally reaching her home, she started to shed her clothing the moment she closed the front door and all but barged into the shower, turning in on not caring about the temperature. She gave her body a rigorous scrubbing and shampooed her matted dirty hair.

Her arms tingled with the pressure of the bangles, and she moaned each time she had to stop and take a break.

It was surely going to be a good day at the hospital with her body like this.

Finally done, she awkwardly stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and all but waddled to her closet. She yanked a red long sleeved shirt and black ninja pants of their hangers and stumbled to the bed, throwing them on. After that, she toweled off and wrapped her ninja bindings over her breasts and pulled on a pair of underwear. Then she put on the rest of her clothes and grabbed her white medic cloak, throwing it on. Grabbing a black hair tie, she dragged her feet out of the house and rushed toward the hospital. When she made it, she gasped.

It seemed all hell broke loose in her absence.

Medics were running all over the place. She grabbed the nearest one.

"Oh, Miss Sakura, thank goodness you're here. We've got two women in labor, one patient has had an allergic reaction to his medication, and a ninja has just come back from a solo mission poisoned, and we're so severely short staffed and Tsunade is in a meeting with the elders and Shizune can only help one at a time and…and…and…"

Sakura smiled softly and reassured the woman.

"Alright. Let's get to work. Take deep even breathes and we can help these people together."

They both walked into the inferno together.

.

.

.

They were in the hideout again. The one they built as children. It was in the middle of the forest. On a tall tree, but not the tallest. Surrounded by leaves and invisible to those who didn't know of its location.

"I want to marry her."he mumbled.

"Then do it."

"Her father won't let me. I've asked a million times."

"Surely you haven't asked a million times, Shisui."

"Don't take it so literal, weasel. I must've come pretty close though."

Shisui reached for another stick of dango, taking a bite and looking out the window.

"What happened at your house last night? I saw Blossom running like a madman was chasing her, and she said she came from your place."asked Shusui.

"I missed another meeting. Father was displeased. He hit me."

"In front of a guest?"

"He thinks Sakura is weak, and won't say anything."

"Tsk. He thinks that about most women, doesn't he?"

"All the old bastards in the clan do, brother."

They sat in quiet again, the only sounds being their chewing.

"I'm going to make her into an Anbu."said Itachi.

"Who?"

"Sakura."

Shisui's eyes widened.

"Blossom? Really? Think she can handle it?"

"I know she can."

It was silent again.

"Her teammates are gonna be in for a hell of surprise when they get back. Their sheltered little flower as an Anbu. Ha."

Itachi couldn't help but smirk.

"Indeed."

"When was the last time you attended a clan meeting, Shisui?"asked Itachi.

"Psh, months. Why would I waste my life listening to a bunch of old geezers gripe and complain?"

Itachi sat quiet before speaking again.

"Don't you get in trouble? You're grandfather is on the council."

"All the time. He hates it…despises it actually. But they've never been able to control me. I'm not like you. I don't have the patience, the endurance. I can't stand being stepped on, commanded. I can't stand having my life being dictated for me, my decisions being made by others. I like my freedom. I don't want to be a puppet, or some lifeless doll like you-

"Stop."

"I like to do what I want. Eat what I want. Say what I want. Be what I want-

"Stop, Shisui."

"Live my own life. Laugh. Smile. Be myse-

"ENOUGH!"

Itachi sat there trembling, glaring at Shisui, whose face was stoic and cold.

"I'm the heir, Shisui. I have no choice but to obey."

"And look how happy you are."

"Happiness is but a sacrifice for the sake of the clan. And you know that's not the only problem."

"One of these days, you're going to be sitting with those old men, wrinkled and unhappy and miserable, commanding another young heir to suffer as they did, as YOU did, and the cycle will just repeat…accept you are able to actually make a difference. You're a once in a lifetime miracle, a prodigy…a leader."

"Leave me alone, Shisui. You don't understand."

Shisui scoffed and stood up angrily.

"You always say that! Then enlighten me!"

"I have to protect Sasuke."

"From what! He's 18. A full grown shinobi!"

"He's still a child, Shisui."

"How long are you going to protect him, and suffer. Huh? Let him deal with his own problems, alright!"

"Don't yell at me, Shisui."

"Get over it, and live. Your own. LIFE!"

"I still have nightmares!"yelled Itachi.

Shisui was shocked silent.

"What?"he asked.

"I still have nightmares of him touching me, and in me, and he said that if I said anything, Sasuke was next. And I didn't. And I realized that I would suffer for the sake of my brother. And if I don't make my father happy, and the clan happy, then they will relegate me of my position and give it to Sasuke, and he'll suffer like me, and have the burdens like me, and lose his freedom like me, and I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

Shisui sat back down, and placed his hand on Itachi's head, bringing it to rest on his chest.

"Oh Itachi…I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect you."

"Nobody has protected me from anything, brother, so please…let me protect Sasuke."

It was quiet again.

.

.

.

Her shift was finally over.

She delivered two beautiful healthy baby boys.

She saved that poor man by having his stomach pumped.

That one ninja won't be going solo missions for a long time.

Twenty regular check ups.

Fourteen irregular.

No lunch break.

She was tired. Her limbs burned from the stress. She smelled horrid. But she was finally seated in her office, eating her well deserved bento.

Except….sharingan eyes were gazing at her from her window.

Well…her thirty-second break was over.

"Can I eat this…and sleep for like…an hour. Please?"

He appeared inside, and stood it seemed as far away as possible.

"You may eat."

"Honestly, Uchiha…I'm tired. I just need some time to sleep."

"Would you sleep on the mission, with the enemy on your tail? Even after a full day? The scroll that you have will determine the success or downfall of all those you know and love. Would you still sleep…even if you were fatigued?"

"Screw you."she said, before finishing her bento and standing up.

She took off her medic coat and readjusted her messy bun before looking at him.

"Let's get this over with. By three, I'm snoring. Just a heads up."

"Hn."

.

.

.

**Sorry for the delay. And I know the chapters short and all. But we're getting further into the plot, which is good.**

**I don't write fight scenes well, so I'll be experimenting with that in this fic. Gonna be plenty violence :)**

**That whole Shisui/Itachi moment was important. I needed to show you how close the two are, begin to show how messed up Itachi is, and why he chooses to suffer for his brother. And oh will he suffer :)**

**Even though this was pretty bland, I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter should be longer and more interesting. **

**As for my personal life, I'm graduating high school on the 26****th****. Oh Ma Goodness. O.o **

**So excited, and nervous…I'll miss my friends.**

**Good news? I'll be majoring in Creative Writing, so that means that my writing will improve, and you'll enjoy my stories more. Hooray!**

**Wish you all the best, and PLEASE REVIEW! **

**Much love,**

**Uchihacutie ^_^**


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